Immersion Therapy
by Ssjshadic
Summary: Eri's quirk counseling and efforts to teach her control remain at a standstill. Mirio suggests providing some sense of normalcy around quirks might help address her fears. Though he suspects he's misplaced his better judgement, Aizawa reluctantly agrees. Midoriya, his 'star' problem child, will act as Eri's keeper during her stay in the 1-A dorm.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: My first contribution to the BNHA fandom. I hope we get along. *Bows*

* * *

Aizawa met the uniform stare of his class evenly, bar one Midoriya, who kept writing notes furiously. He let himself appreciate the rare silence they'd fallen into. He hadn't even needed to raise his voice or use his Erasure.

"Sensei! Are you certain?"

"What?"

"Pinch me."

"Could you repeat that, please?"

"What the shit?"

"Is this real life?"

It lasted for all of three seconds.

"Eri will be your dorm mate for a little while," Aizawa reiterated. "During that time, I will not only condone, but encourage creative, constructive usage of your quirks outside of combat. _Provided_," he stressed, tired glare picking out a few specific students. "That none of you exploit this assignment for personal shenanigans. I will find out, and it will get back to me, and you _will _be put immediately under house arrest."

He let that sink in and continued once the moment passed.

"I referred to this as an assignment, and I expect you to handle it like one," he said. With a glance at the time, he sighed. "I don't feel like repeating myself, so take your questions to Midoriya. Homeroom is dismissed."

With that, he stalked off through the door, leaving the introverted kid to the imminent fate of excessive attention and a barrage of questions. Midoriya had improved on his confidence outside of combat, though he still had a ways to go. Being put in something of a leadership role could only be considered rational.

_"Eri's quirk counseling has been ineffective so far," Aizawa said, reclined on a sofa opposite Midoriya in the teacher's lounge. "Barring a few pro heroes she recognizes from the rescue raid, she still has problems opening up to adults. Most counselors aren't capable of helping with such a potent quirk in the first place, and those few that are can't do much if she won't communicate."_

_ Midoriya's face clearly conveyed his concern, and he fidgeted where he sat, no doubt moments away from devolving into a 'mumble storm'. Aizawa pressed on, hoping to avoid that. _

_ "She's more open with students, provided someone she trusts is present and she's given a bit of coaxing. I planned for Monoma to help teach her some control, but since that fell through, Mirio brought up the idea of, essentially, exposure therapy."_

_ "How do you mean, Sensei?" Midoriya asked, leaning forward in his seat. Aizawa couldn't help feeling just a little exasperated by how obvious he made his desire to help. He _approved_, but the kid really needed to learn how to put on a game face._

_ "Ever since her quirk manifested, Eri's been told that she's cursed," he said. "And most of her other experiences with quirks have involved violence, pain for others and herself, and death."_

_ Midoriya nodded, hands clenched over his knees. _

_ "She obviously already understands that quirks can be dangerous, and she appreciates the risk of hers more than any other," Aizawa said. "Short of being put under extreme duress or a panic attack, we shouldn't have to worry about her quirk running wild. So far, even when she's had nightmares, she's subconsciously repressed her ability."_

_ Midoriya bit his lip at the mention of nightmares._

_ "For now, she needs to be taught that quirks, even destructive ones, have practical, everyday applications. Since she's repressing her own power, if she can't get comfortable with that"_

_ "She can pick up on how _other _quirks can be used positively!" Midoriya blurted. He flushed, embarrassed at interrupting, though he didn't curl in on himself. Progress. "Sorry. How can I help?"_

_ Aizawa rubbed at the scar under his eye._

_ "You'll be her keeper."_

_ Midoriya froze._

_ "… Eh?"_

_ "Mirio would be the ideal option, with more experience under his belt, but his schedule's in flux right now and he's still trying to figure things out should Eri be unable to return his quirk to him. He can explain his own experiences, though that won't be the same as demonstrations. And you," Aizawa sent Midoriya a look. "Are just about the only other person she trusts near her age. With you present, she's more likely to interact, engage and ask questions."_

_ Midoriya looked down at his feet, mouth twitching like he was about to start mumbling. _

_ "I'll do it." He said suddenly. "I'll do whatever I can to help."_

_ Aizawa gave him a shallow nod. _

_ "She's looking forward to it," he said with an imperceptible smile. He stood slowly, long overdue for a nap. "It goes without saying that, as children yourselves, you are to _contact _a teacher if you find yourself out of your depth with her."_

_ "Okay!" Midoriya affirmed, a bit louder than Aizawa would have preferred given the hour._

"Mirio," Aizawa said into his phone. "Yeah, I've let the class know. Bring her to the dorms and we'll get her settled in before my next class. Best if she doesn't have everyone's attention on her at the outset."

Conversation done, he tucked his phone away. The underground hero had only agreed to Mirio's suggestion on a trial basis, though that should have been obvious. Much as his kids had a tendency to surprise him (unfortunately, in several cases) they _were _still kids, and first years at that. Circumstances had pushed them into testing for their provisional licenses early- that didn't equate to possessing the maturity for the care of a child.

Still, Midoriya had been relentless in his efforts to prepare during the two days' advance notice he'd gotten. Privately, somewhere in his cynical heart, Aizawa hoped that the responsibility for Eri would provide his foremost problem child with an incentive to stay out of trouble.

He sighed. He should be so lucky.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: A bit more set up, and the cinnamon rolls collide. *Bows*

I do not own BNHA.

* * *

Izuku hadn't looked up from his desk since homeroom began. With his mind in overdrive and his pencil flying across the pages of his notebook, he barely registered Aizawa's dismissal.

He'd been confident when he gave his word to help last week. Shortly afterward, though, the weight of his task began to sink in. He wouldn't back out, not when Eri needed him, but what did _he _know about teaching, let alone quirk control? He'd only recently gotten a basic handle on One For All in the past few months. That didn't even include the _other quirks _that he'd apparently have to master.

"Midoriya."

Beyond just her quirk, he also had to take care of Eri. Where would she sleep? What would she eat? She loved apples but she couldn't have sweets all the time.

"Deku?"

Aizawa hadn't specified how long Eri would stay in the dorm. Izuku didn't think to ask at the time. Did he need to monitor Eri's sleep schedule? How would that affect his own? Depending on how long she stayed, his whole routine and his regimens would either require some shifting around or an entire overhaul.

"Fucking nerd!"

Snap.

Bom!

Izuku jolted in his seat and his pencil went flying out of his hand. He came back to the present, finding all eyes on him. Iida and Uraraka stood by his desk, both waiting in clear curiosity and concern. Kacchan had turned around in his seat. A small explosion from a snap of his fingers had gotten Izuku's attention. Kacchan huffed.

"Your awareness blows, Deku."

Izuku's face felt warm and he murmured an apology.

"You have been preoccupied the past few days, Midoriya," Iida concurred, though his face clearly said he found issue with Kacchan's phrasing. "I assume Eri's imminent visit is the cause?"

"Uh, yeah." Izuku nodded, rubbing the back of his head.

"Bro, is that why you were so strung out last weekend?" Kirishima asked.

"How does Aizawa-sensei define 'shenanigans'? Mineta asked, prompting a swift rebuke from his immediate neighbors.

"When do we get to see her?" Ashido asked, bouncing over to Midoriya's desk, Hagakure hot on her heels with her own slew of rapid-fire questions.

"Jesus Christ," Kacchan yelled. "Shut up! One at a fucking time!"

Izuku sent his childhood friend-bully-rival-friend-again a grateful look, which was soundly ignored. Iida, complete with his usual chopping hand gestures, called for order, and Izuku used the moment to take a breath.

Uraraka leaned into his space, speaking quietly.

"Is Eri-chan okay?"

Izuku went flush at her proximity. Focusing on the subject at hand instead, he resisted the impulse to hide his face. Swallowing, he nodded.

"Midoriya-san," Yaoyorozu said, speaking up from the rear of the classroom. "Could you please elaborate on the assignment Sensei mentioned?"

"Finally, something fucking relevant." Kacchan muttered.

Once the initial excitement settled, Izuku rehashed everything Aizawa told him. He went over Eri's quirk for those who didn't know, summarized her circumstances, and explained the basis of Togata's idea of exposure therapy.

"I believe it is a commendable idea," Iida said, his earnest voice projecting through the classroom. "Let us all do our part as provisional heroes to help young Eri!"

Enthusiasm resounded all around, though some were more vocal than others, and Kacchan scowled at 'provisional heroes'.

"I have a few younger siblings," Asui said. "I'd be happy to help if you have any questions- Kero."

"Thank you, Asui-san," Izuku said. He stood. "Actually, I have a favor to ask all of you."

The room went quiet again.

"I think we should introduce ourselves to her in small groups," he said. "She probably doesn't remember us all individually from the festival. I don't want to overwhelm her on her first day here."

Silence. The urge to fidget under all the attention intensified.

"Sure man."

"Understandable."

"You're the boss!"

"Very considerate, Midoriya!"

"Kero."

"I can be patient so long as I get to meet her!"

Izuku let out a sigh of relief. Uraraka gave him a wide smile. A bit shakily, he returned it.

"What's the point of waiting? If the kid's gotta learn to swim, just toss her in the deep end."

Izuku flashed Kacchan an alarmed look.

"Bakugou!"

"Dude!"

"IT'S A GODDAMN ANALOGY, YOU DUMB SHITS!"

* * *

"Izuku!"

"Hi, Eri!"

Ochako hung back and watched Deku greet Eri in the common area. Classes were done for the day, and she came straight back to the dorm with him at his request, along with Tsu and Kirishima. Deku figured that it'd be most comfortable for her to start meeting the friends that helped in the raid, those she'd be most familiar with after him and Togata.

Deku had attacked the issue of Eri's stay at the dorm with a drive Ochako usually only saw in combat or for his quirk analysis. He'd been at work with the same notebook from homeroom all throughout the day. He only ate at lunch because Todoroki practically shoved a rice ball into his mouth mid-mutter while Iida reprimanded him for his poor self-care habits. The fanboy returned to the present just long enough to shovel down a plate of food.

(There were a few teasing comments about Todoroki hand-feeding Deku, though the heterochromatic boy merely blinked a couple times with his usual blank face in response, completely oblivious to the implications. Deku lost himself in his notes again too quickly to register the gentle ribbing. Ochako found it _entirely _unfair that _she _somehow came out as the only one embarrassed when Mina suggested the brunette might want to switch places with Todoroki.)

Ochako realized how important the assignment was for Deku on the way out of the cafeteria. As they were packing up, she caught a glimpse of the notebook cover- crossed out were the words 'Hero Analysis for the Future No. 16', replaced simply with 'Eri'.

When she asked about it, Deku told her, somewhat sheepishly, that he spent the weekend browsing forums for older-siblings-turned-guardians, reading articles on child psychology and talking to his mom. It reminded her how she found him asleep at the kitchen table well past curfew one night, pencil in one hand and his phone in the other.

_'He really wants to help her.'_

Ochako smiled at Eri scooting off the couch to run to Deku.

"Hey guys," Togata waved at them, rising up from where he'd been sitting beside her. "You got here quick!"

"Yo," Kirishima returned, grinning. The redhead raised his fist. "Togata-senpai! Great to see ya!"

"Power!" Togata cheered, pounding his fist with Kirishima's.

"Midoriya was very keen on getting back to the dorm once class let out- Kero," Tsu said. "He was really eager to see Eri-chan."

"Yeah," Kirishima added. "We're all stoked that you're gonna stay with us, Eri-chan!"

Realizing that more people than Deku had come to see her, Eri shied a bit nearer to him, though she didn't retreat.

Deku smiled gently.

"Do you remember my friends, Eri?" He asked, gesturing to them. "They helped with the festival a while ago, and they helped us rescue you."

Eri gave a slight nod, eyes still on Ochako, Tsu and Kirishima. Tsu, probably experienced with kids, being an older sister, initiated conversation.

"We didn't meet properly before since we were really busy," she said. She stepped forward, careful not to crowd the horned girl. "I'm Asui Tsuyu. You can call me Tsu, or Froppy. That's my hero name."

"Heya," Kirishima went next. "Kirishima Eijirou, hero name Red Riot! Glad to have ya!"

Ochako noticed Eri quietly take one of Deku's fingers into her hand. She stepped up next to Tsu and crouched to Eri's height.

"I'm Uraraka Ochako," she said, smiling. "You can call me Uravity. That's my hero name," she added in a conspiratorial whisper. "Or Chako, or Ura, or whatever you like."

That earned her a tiny smile, and Ochako internally crowed victoriously.

"Thank you for saving me." Eri said softly with a small bow. She pulled Deku's hand closer to her.

Were she not certain that it would scare the girl, Ochako would have swept her up into a smothering hug.

"It's what heroes do." She said instead.

"Hey Eri," Deku cut in, easily drawing her attention to him. "A whole bunch more of my friends are gonna be back from class soon. Do you want to wait here and meet them, too, or do you want to see where you'll stay?"

At the mention of 'a bunch more friends', Eri shuffled closer to Deku. She looked around, considering.

"Stay with you?" She asked.

"Yeah," Deku said. "You'll share my room."

She didn't quite smile, but Eri's eyes grew brighter.

"Can we go see?"

"Of course!" Deku said. He opened his hand and held hers more properly.

"I'll be up with your stuff in a minute, Eri!" Togata promised as Deku walked her to the elevator.

Once the doors closed, Ochako turned to Togata.

"How's she doing? She's still pretty quiet."

"Well, that's normal," Tsu said, a finger on her chin. "She recognizes us, but it's not like we've had a lot of interaction- Kero."

"Actually," Togata said, gathering a coloring book and crayons Eri left behind into a small duffel bag. "She's been opening up slowly since the festival. She'd normally talk a bit more with you guys. I think today's just been kinda tiring- she was wired the last couple days over getting to leave the hospital and stay with Midoriya."

"She's still at the hospital?" Kirishima asked, typical grin slipping off his face. "Did she get hurt again?"

Togata sighed.

"Finding a new home for her has been tough," he explained. "Her quirk makes people uneasy. And UA can't legally ask anyone to look after her without full disclosure of her quirk and what it does."

Ochako frowned, brow pinched.

"Are people rejectin' her for that?"

"I'm not a part of those negotiations," Togata said. "That's the sense I got, though. Aizawa-sensei and Recovery Girl have pulled some strings, so Eri's still listed as an 'in-patient' even if she doesn't _need _to be there anymore."

Togata perked up. As usual, Ochako's senpai refused to let any somber mood linger.

"She really _is _excited to be here, though! Since we got here, she's asked me at least once an hour if I knew when Midoriya would show up!"

He laughed. Ochako smiled.

"Hmm." Tsu tilted her head, glancing up toward the second floor. Her usually blank face showed a hint of concern.

"Tsu?"

"I just remembered," she said, turning to Ochako. "Mineta's room is right next to Midoriya's, isn't it?"

For a just a moment, Ochako's heart stopped. Kirishima face faulted, his toothy grin frozen.

"Crap."

* * *

"Izuku, who's that?"

Eri pointed to the giant blond man all over Izuku's room. Izuku had him in posters, in big and small figures, and even his blanket.

Izuku looked surprised for a second, but he smiled.

"He's All Might, the former number one hero," he said. He scratched his cheek. "He was- _is- _an inspiration for me, and part of the reason I'm working to be a hero."

Eri nodded.

"Anyway, what do you think? Do you like it?"

Izuku squeezed her hand a little.

Eri looked around the room again. There were a lot more colors than anyplace else she could remember staying before. Yellows and blues and reds and greens everywhere. The hospital only came in whites and a little bit of red or pink.

The place Izuku rescued her from didn't really have any color.

"Mm." She said. She looked back up at him. "It's good."

Izuku grinned real wide at her, and her cheeks tingled. It felt nice to see him smile for her.

"We can get some things for you later," he said. "Do you want to wait for Mirio to bring your stuff, or would you like to go meet everyone?"

Eri thought about the choices. Izuku gave her one earlier, too. She didn't get real choices before she got rescued. Chisaki would try to trick her with fake choices sometimes. People got hurt with pretend choices, though. Izuku's were real, she actually got to choose. She liked that.

"Can we wait for Mirio first?" She asked.

"Sure."

Izuku showed her a bunch of drawers. Some were empty, and those belonged to her for her clothes and toys, or anything else she wanted to put in there.

"Knock knock!"

Mirio came in even though he didn't knock on the door. He put down Eri's bag of things, and they put them all away together.

"All settled!" Mirio declared. He put a hand on Eri's head. Big, but not heavy. He smiled at her.

Eri looked at All Might again.

"He smiles like you and Mirio." She said to Izuku. Mirio laughed.

"Heh," Izuku chuckled. "I think I actually smile like him."

Eri tilted her head, a little confused.

She knew Izuku admired All Might, so he must be pretty great. She didn't agree that he was the number one hero, though.

"Ready to go back down?"

All Might's hands didn't hold her and make her feel safe. He didn't wrap her up in a cape to protect her.

"Okay."

All Might didn't tell her that her curse could be kind and gentle.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I respectfully submit the next segment. Eri's halfway there. *Bows*

I do not own BNHA or MHA.

* * *

"Kacchan?"

Katsuki looked up from his phone. He'd grabbed Kirishima the second he got back to the Heights Alliance dorms. They were on the elevator on their way out.

The boys side and the girls side of the dorms only had one elevator, though. They'd stopped at Deku's floor, not the common room. The nerd looked surprised, standing next to some big, blond plain-face.

"You're Aizawa-sensei's other troublemaker," Tintin said, grinning. "Nice to meet you! I swear I had a punchline for this."

Before Katsuki could ask what the fuck that meant, Kirishima cut in, more energized than usual.

"Hey, Togata-senpai! We're heading to the gym to work out! Can you spot us?"

Oh. The blond dude must've been the guy that apparently soloed the whole class when Katsuki was still under house arrest. That explained why Kirishima looked amped. He'd probably be a decent sparring coach. Katsuki grinned inwardly- he could get into that.

"Sorry," he said. "I actually have my own appointment to keep this afternoon!"

Togata ushered Deku inside, and only then did Katsuki notice the girl huddled next to the nerd's leg. She stood just a little taller than Deku's knees, and had a tiny horn on the right side of her head. She kinda reminded him of quirkless preschool Deku, big eyes taking in everything and scrawny little body. She had the same spark in her eye, too, the one that pissed him off for years.

Didn't bug him quite so much coming from her, though.

_'Huh.'_

"Hey nerd," Katuski said, interrupting whatever Kirishima had been telling Deku. "Who lives next to you?"

The question suddenly seemed urgent. Katsuki could admit that his classmates weren't _all _extras like he'd assumed. He'd even come around to find most of them borderline tolerable to hang out with.

Didn't have a fucking clue where each of them roomed, though. He knew Kirishima bunked next door to him, and he might've seen Shoji on their floor. He'd threatened Kaminari once with the traditional 'I know where you live' line after Sparky did something especially stupid, but he'd been bluffing.

"Uh," Deku said. Katsuki stared impatiently. "Mineta and Aoyama are my neighbors. Why?"

_'The Grape and Frenchie. Figures.'_

Katsuki ignored Deku's question and looked down.

"Hey. Snowflake."

She blinked at him, and took a second to figure out who Katsuki meant. He spent that second wondering

_'What the fuck just came outta my mouth?'_

She did have long white hair. And she _was _tiny, and sorta fragile-looking, like she'd melt if anybody held her too long.

Katsuki shrugged it off. His names for people didn't warrant extra thought.

"If Deku loses you," he said, jerking his head toward the nerd. "Go up to the fourth floor and look for Shi" he paused. "Sharktooth's door. Deku's floor is full of weirdos."

The elevator doors opened. His piece said, Katsuki walked out, already putting the talk out of his mind as Kirishima joined him.

* * *

Izuku stared after Kacchan. Flabbergasted described him pretty accurately in that moment. Eri's first interaction with his explosive rival-friend went about as well as he could've hoped. Better, even.

_'Snowflake?'_

The freckled teenager just couldn't quite reconcile Eri's new nickname with the personality of the person who gave it to her. Kacchan's nicknames ranged from highly derogatory (namely, Deku) to dismissive most of the time. He usually just latched onto whatever trait stuck out to him and used that, whether physical or quirk-related.

Snowflake almost sounded like an… _endearment_.

"Your friend's a nice guy, Midoriya," Togata said, ushering him and Eri out of the elevator just before the doors shut on them. His senpai grinned at Eri. "He's looking out for your new bunkmate!"

Izuku chuckled a bit uncertainly. Even he, who made every effort to be polite and tactful, would struggle to describe Kacchan as _nice_.

"Izuku," Eri said from his side. "Who's Sharktooth?"

Still, maybe Kacchan was looking out for Eri, in his own way. He didn't have to do it at the expense of their other classmates, though.

"That's what Kacchan calls Kirishima sometimes," he said. "He just means that if you're lost, you should ask someone for help." He quickly added. "Everybody who lives here can be trusted, so if you need me for something and I'm not around, you can ask any of my friends and they'll do their best to help you. If they can't, someone will find me. Okay?"

Eri took a moment to process that. She seemed a little reluctant. The thought of asking someone relatively new for anything, let alone not knowing where _he _was, probably unsettled her. Regardless, she nodded. Izuku smiled at her.

"Great!" Togata exclaimed, clapping Izuku on the shoulder. Izuku felt the impact of his senpai's large hand throughout his whole back. Quirk or not, Togata Mirio was a force of nature. "I'm leaving her in your capable hands, Midoriya!"

Eri went quiet and looked down. His senpai, undeterred and still smiling, knelt next to her.

"Keep him out of trouble, Eri," he said, pretending to whisper under his breath. "I hear they call him 'Problem Child' around here. Who knows what he gets up to?"

Eri's lips ticked upward a bit.

"Okay."

Togata beamed and patted her head. He took off at a trot through the common area and out the door.

"Did Togata-senpai just bail without even saying hi?" Ashido said from the couch in front of the TV. "Rude!"

Eri's eyes immediately tracked the source of the new voice. Izuku left his hand open next to her. She'd agreed to meeting everyone easily enough in his room, and she didn't seem scared. 'Not scared' still didn't mean 'eager', though.

Nonetheless, she did take his hand and let him walk her over. Clothes and a phone floated in front of a slight depression in the cushions, a familiar sight during the rare moments Hagakure wasn't up and animated. She must have been texting- Izuku hadn't known her to sit still for very many reasons.

Ashido sat next to her, splayed out across the cushions. She'd propped up on one elbow to watch Togata leave.

"Midoriya's here."

Jiro announced his arrival without looking up from her phone screen. The question of how she knew barely crossed Izuku's mind before she glanced up at him with a raised eyebrow, wiggling one of her jacks next to her ear.

Right. She must have heard him the second he stepped out of the elevator, possibly before then. She'd gotten proficient enough to isolate people's heartbeats without plugging into anything, so long as she was in the same room.

Predictably, the floating phone dropped between the cushions and one very pink acid hero went from prone to borderline-too-close-oh-god-_girl_ inside of a second.

"Midori!" Ashido said cheerily. Yellow eyes zeroed in on Eri. The girl shrank back just a hair at the sudden, intense attention. To her credit, Ashido did restrain herself a little. Hagakure, though still bouncing lightly on Izuku's other side, also managed to contain herself.

"You must be Eri," Ashido said, her tone soft and her slightly mischievous smile traded for a more honest, open one. "You can call me Mina! I'm so excited that we have another girl here!"

The pink young woman barely finished her brief introduction before Hagakure gave hers.

"Hi!" She said with an energetic wave of her arm. Or, at least, her sleeve. "I'm Hagakure Tooru- all the girls call me Tooru, so you should too! You're gonna have an awesome time with us, Eri!"

Eri nodded slowly, her eyes a little wide. Her attention wandered over to Jiro on the sofa. She offered a sedate smile and a wave. Eri's eyes sparked with recognition.

"She's the one who sang at the festival!" She exclaimed.

Jiro's smile shifted in muted embarrassment.

"That's right," Ashido confirmed, smirking. "She's talented, isn't she?"

Eri nodded, much more decisively. She let go of Izuku's hand, both of hers balled up in front of her face.

"It was so much fun!"

Ashido grinned at Jiro's slightly pink cheeks. Honest praise, especially about her singing, still flustered her. And an enthusiastic endorsement from Eri couldn't be topped.

Izuku could relate to Jiro's discomfort.

"That's our Jiro!" Ashido said theatrically.

"She can serenade, rock, roll and blow your mind with sound!" Hagakure said, following up Ashido seamlessly.

"The rocking hero, Earphone Jack!" They announced at the same time.

"All right, all right," Jiro said, her earphone jacks twitching while she tried to hide her face behind her phone. "We get it, you're both performers. You can stop now."

"We preach the truth," Ashido insisted, rounding back on Izuku. "Right, Midori?"

Izuku found it quite unreasonable for Ashido to throw him under the bus.

"Um," he said, fidgeting and rubbing the back of his head. "Jiro's definitely a great singer."

Jiro didn't say anything in reply. Her thumbs flew across her phone screen, resolutely ignoring Ashido's snickering.

"You gonna just stand awkwardly in the middle of the room, dude?" Jiro asked without looking up, her blush back under control.

Izuku, stifling knee-jerk embarrassment at the soft jibe, took a seat on the couch. Eri padded in his wake and climbed up to sit beside him.

Ashido suddenly crouched next to Eri, beaming.

"Is that a horn I see?"

Eri nodded.

"Aw~!" Hagakure cooed. "She's a little unicorn!"

"Woo!" Ashido cheered. "That makes us horn buddies!"

Eri blinked and tilted her head.

"What's a unicorn?"

Ashido froze. Hagakure gasped.

"You poor, deprived child."

"I'm calling a vote," Ashido announced. "For Midori and Eri's joint induction into HC. They come as a package for obvious reasons. Tooru?"

"Aye!" Tooru whole body bounced with her agreement.

"Jiro?"

The rocker wore a rare look of slight surprise, though it quickly faded back to her default aloof expression. She shrugged.

"I'm cool with it."

"Wait, what" Izuku said.

"And I also vote the affirmative," Ashido said, pulling out her phone. A second later, her weirdly official tone reverted to her usual cadence. "Okay! Hair Club has two new members! We'll text Midori the next time we have a meeting."

Eri's head drifted back and forth between Ashido, Jiro, Hagakure's clothes, and Izuku, looking about as confused as he felt.

"Hang on, do we get a say in this?" Izuku asked. He didn't want to come off as rude after they included him. If not for Eri, he probably wouldn't have questioned it aloud, or at least not directly. He didn't want Eri to get swept into anything, though. "What's Hair Club?"

"Oh," Hagakure bubbled. "It's just a group of us meeting up sometimes to hang out. I dunno if you can turn down membership? No one we've brought in has refused before. Technically you and Eri aren't members yet, since we need one more vote for a majority. We also don't let people in if someone has a real problem with them, but you don't have to worry about that!"

Izuku blinked. Twice. He heard a bunch of words, yet he didn't feel much more informed.

"It's harmless," Ashido assured him with a wave of her hand. "Not everyone makes every meeting, and we don't have a set schedule either."

"Relax, man," Jiro said. "It's all voluntary."

Before he could question them further, Sero and Kaminari appeared out of the elevator.

"Yo! Where's the munchkin?" Kaminari called out.

At the sound of yet more people, Eri shifted nearer Izuku.

"Hey!" Hagakure said, sleeve gesticulating in agitation. "You're interrupting!"

Sero shook his head and tutted.

"My dear invisible ma'am," he said, sidling up behind the couch. "I'm surprised at you. When one receives the glorious news that their house has been blessed with a cinnamon roll"

"A _second _cinnamon roll." Kaminari said for emphasis.

"And when, further, one receives confirmation of the precious pastry's arrival," Sero held up his phone. "They do not linger in their rooms and let others hog all the sunshine!"

Ashido frowned.

"Who texted- Jiro!"

She turned an exaggerated look of betrayal on the rocker girl.

"Why?! We were having such a nice time!"

Jiro stared back, expression deadpan and unmoved.

"You try getting your phone blown up by these two morons every four seconds."

"We take offense to that," Sero said, sniffing indignantly. "We were paragons of restraint."

"Yeah," Kaminari agreed. "We took turns texting you. And only every _six _seconds."

Jiro glared at Kaminari, one of her jacks twitching aggressively.

Izuku felt Eri press her head against his side. He glanced at her. She looked a little tired. He felt something poke his other arm. Jiro's eyes darted from his face to Eri and back.

"She good?" She mouthed silently.

Izuku took a moment to assess Eri again. She hadn't left his space, yet her eyes tracked the banter between the others with quiet curiosity.

He peeked back at Jiro.

"Cool." She nodded.

She must have heard something from his heartbeat.

Izuku smiled and lifted his arm to let Eri settle in closer to his side.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This would be longer, but chatroom fics are, evidently, a royal pain. *Bows*

I do not own BNHA.

* * *

"Do you have any favorite snacks other than apples, Eri?" Izuku asked.

The day had, thus far, been a huge success. They'd met just over half of his classmates- sort of, Sato passed through the common room, though Ashido and Hagakure had been all but dragging him out the door.

(_"We've got a quick errand to run, be back soon Eri-chan!"_

_ "Where are you even taking"_)

Still, the point stood, Eri had been a trooper, even if she had visibly flagged a bit in the last hour. Seeing Sato reminded Izuku to show his new roommate the kitchen, leaving Sero and Kaminari in front of the TV. The electrification quirk user waved Eri off with a promise to show her the best channels for cartoons later.

Which brought him up to his question, having already covered his half-practiced spiel of '_Don't touch the stove or the oven, ask before you try making something, leave it in the fridge if it's labeled, etc.' _for safety.

Eri blinked at him a couple times, rubbing one eye and making an adorably valiant effort to muster up a second wind. Izuku couldn't help smiling and regarding her softly.

"Mm… crackers?" She said eventually, though it came out airy and a little uncertain, like a question of her own instead of a statement of preference.

Izuku lay a hand over her head. She leaned into the contact, pressing her forehead against his hip.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. Keeping Eri close with his hand, he nudged at her feet with his toes until she stood on them. He steered them both around the counter toward a stool. Eri giggled softly on the way, a little more awake to play.

He pulled out and unlocked his phone with his other hand.

* * *

**Iida Tenya** has created a chat: _Class 1-A_

**Iida Tenya **has added **Midoriya Izuku**, **Yaoyorozu Momo**, **Uraraka Ochako**, **Todoroki Shoto**, **Aoyama Yuga**, **Asui Tsuyu**, **Tokoyami Fumikage**, **Kaminari Denki**, **Sero Hanta**, **Jiro Kyoka**, **Ojiro Mashirao** and **Sato Rikido** to the chat!

**Iida Tenya**: Good evening! As I do not have everyone's contact information, please add our classmates to the chat until we are all present!

**Kaminari Denki **changed their name to **Raichu**

** Raichu **changed **Jiro Kyoka's **name to **Aux Cord**

** Raichu **added **Kirishima Eijirou **to the chat!

**Raichu**: Class Dad has come a long way

**Iida Tenya**: Who?

**Raichu **changed **Iida Tenya's **name to **Class Dad**

**Class Dad**: Why?

**Raichu: **As soon as I saw this chat, I had a vision of him saying

**Raichu: **Regrettably, I do not have all of your contact information- I will correct this oversight at the first opportunity! Until then, please help me!

**Raichu: **Complete with the hands

**Aux Cord: **I definitely read his text with the robot hands in my head, though

**Aux Cord **changed **Yaoyorozu Momo's **name to **Kami**

**Raichu**: Baby steps

**Aux Cord: **Also, in what world have you stopped being Pikachu?

**Raichu: **As of today, we all have a baby sister

**Raichu: **I'm responsible for a life now-

**Raichu: **I answered the call, and thus I evolved

**Aux Cord **changed **Raichu's **name to **Pikachu**

**Aux Cord: **Rejected

**Pikachu: **_Rude_

**Aux Cord: **Change your color scheme and your power level

**Aux Cord:** Then we'll talk

**Sero Hanta **changed their name to **Cellophane**

**Pikachu: **Sero, did she just-

**Cellophane: **I think she did!

**Pikachu: **_How dare_!

**Ojiro Mashirao **changed their name to **Ojiro**

**Ojiro **added **Hagakure Tooru **to the chat!

**Ojiro**: This seems like it would've been useful during the festival

**Tokoyami Fumikage **changed their name to **Tokoyami**

**Tokoyami **added **Shoji Mezo **and **Koda Koji **to the chat!

**Tokoyami: **Given that we were all together or within earshot between eight and twelve hours a day, it probably wasn't necessary

**Ojiro: **Fair point

**Pikachu **changed **Tokoyami's **name to **Qrow**

**Qrow: **. . .

**Pikachu: **You'd appreciate the reference

**Pikachu: **It's a sign of respect

**Qrow: **So long as it's not a mere pun

**Aux Cord: **Nice

**Pikachu: **Evolve?

**Aux Cord: **Not Thunder Stone nice

**Pikachu: **stingy

**Cellophane **added **Mineta Minoru **to the chat!

**Aux Cord: **Why are you two dorks only adding people one at a time?

**Cellophane: **delegation

**Pikachu: **efficiency

**Kirishima Eijirou **changed their name to **Red Riot**

**Red Riot **added **Ashido Mina **and **Bakugo Katsuki **to the chat!

**Pikachu: **See?

**Aux Cord: **Touché

**Bakugo Katsuki**: The fuck is this?

**Class Dad: **Thank you everyone! I created this chat in the interest of promoting communication between us, particularly as we are now collectively responsible for Eri's well-being!

**Class Dad: **Incidentally, Bakugo, please mind your language.

**Bakugo Katsuki: **Fuck off, engines

**Ashido Mina **changed their name to **Alien Queen**

**Uraraka Ochako **changed their name to **Uravity**

**Uravity: **Great idea! Thanks, Iida!

**Alien Queen: **How's the unicorn holding up, Midori?

**Midoriya Izuku: **She's all right, if a little worn out. Where'd you guys go?

**Sato Rikido **changed their name to **Sato**

**Sato: **They kidnapped me for groceries

**Hagakure Tooru **changed their name to **Invisible Ma'am**

**Invisible Ma'am: **Slander! T'was for the greater good!

**Sato: **Since we're here anyway, does anybody need anything?

**Red Riot: **What's for dinner tonight?

**Todoroki Shoto: **Soba.

**Class Dad: **Do people want to cast a vote?

**Todoroki Shoto: **_Soba_

**Class Dad: **Yes. Noted, Todoroki.

**Pikachu: **Noodles are good

**Cellophane: **So long as they're hot

**Ojiro: **Seconded

**Aux Cord: **I'm down

**Red Riot: **Korokke?

**Bakugo Katsuki: **Fuck yes

**Midoriya Izuku: **I can get the noodles ready if you have an ETA, Sato

**Sato: **I need to corral my kidnappers

**Uravity: **How did you lose _Mina _and _Tooru_?

**Pikachu: **Skill

**Sato: **Be home in twenty

**Midoriya Izuku: **Okay, I'll be prepping in the kitchen

**Kami: **Jiro, isn't this name a bit pretentious?

**Aux Cord: **You're a walking 3D printer, ranked first in our class, a literal Oujo-sama

**Kami: **Well

**Aux Cord: **No. Not pretentious- you misspelled 'perfect'

**Bakugo Katsuki: **I'm muting you dumb shits

**Qrow: **What a mad banquet of darkness

* * *

Izuku switched his phone to vibrate and muted the conversation. He checked on Eri, who he'd set up on a stool in front of the counter, opposite the stove.

"Do you like noodles, Eri?"


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Who posts twice in one week? *Bows*

I do not own BNHA. Nor it's cousin, MHA.

* * *

Yaoyorozu Momo considered herself a practically minded young woman. She did not think herself overly serious, though her quirk required that she be disciplined in her studies and in her training by necessity. Despite her quirk's name, she could not create something out of nothing- and she couldn't create anything if she didn't understand its composition.

As a student, as vice president of her class, and as an aspiring heroine, she refused to take shortcuts, and believed in working diligently-

"Oh, Yaoyorozu-san," Midoriya said, glancing up from the counter. "Eri, this is our class vice president."

And, as she caught sight of the small child sitting on a stool, long white hair hanging down to her back and a tiny horn on her forehead, Momo decided immediately that she would take _every _opportunity to spoil the girl.

"Hello," she said, smiling- as much out of etiquette as that she just couldn't help herself. "I'm Yaoyorozu Momo- our friends call me Yaomomo, but you may refer to me however you like. It's lovely to have you here, Eri-chan."

Eri looked up at her, tiny fingers curling and uncurling on the counter.

"Hi." She said shyly.

Momo's heart squeezed.

"Could you get out the potatoes, Yaoyorozu-san?"

Momo blinked, turning toward Midoriya, already back at the stove with a huge pot of water.

_'Right,'_ she thought, focusing. _'Dinner.'_

* * *

Izuku smiled. For all that the training camp had been an unpleasant experience (to put it mildly), as a class, 1-A came through it much better prepared for dorm life. Case in point, they actually had a rudimentary system in place for making dinner every night.

The one truly strict rule was that Sato did not cook meals except for special occasions. Not for lack of ability- far from it. Instead, everyone thought it unfair to ask him to cook when he literally made _all _the desserts, _and _he took requests. Thus, he was exempt.

They didn't exactly have a set rotation. Any given night, there was usually at least one person willing to make something. And, given the portions involved for twenty teenagers, let alone twenty teenagers undergoing _hero training_, there were also a few willing to help out. When it came to the kitchen, serious arguments and other sources of contention were benched.

Which worked for Izuku, since Kacchan had taken up dicing vegetables and meat for the korokke while Asui worked on the potatoes.

It also benefitted Eri, as it meant the noise she had to deal with- she hadn't been interested in meeting the others while Izuku cooked- didn't reach overwhelming levels.

"How many bread crumbs do we actually need?" Yaoyorozu asked. She'd set up her station near Eri, letting the horned girl nibble on stray crumbs. Like everyone else, the vice rep was already enamored.

"HEY!" Kacchan barked toward the common area.

Eri startled. Izuku winced sympathetically.

"What do you dumb…" Kacchan paused, glanced at Eri, then yelled again. "Jerks want in the korokke?"

"Kero," Asui said. "This much looks fine, Momo-chan. Let's not complicate things and just make all the servings we can with what's here. It's not like leftovers last very long."

Kacchan grumbled something and set to work shaping patties. An uproar of laughter reached the kitchen, stealing Eri's attention. The girl stared at the source of the noise a bit wide-eyed.

Dinner would be… interesting.

* * *

"So did I hear wrong, or did Bakugo censor himself before? Because _that's _hilarious!"

"I will _hurt _you, Sparkplug!"

"It's a compliment, King Explosion Murder! You're growing up like a real boy- soon you'll- _snrk-_ soon you'll _choose _to style your hair after Best Jeanist!"

"FU- YOU WANNA DIE, ELBOWS?!"

"Bro, easy! Don't take it out on the food!"

"Sero, Kaminari, stop provoking Bakugo for a reaction. He's being responsible around Eri-chan, and it's commendable."

"No one asked you, Four-eyes."

"You can't possibly expect me to believe you dragged Sato out for _no reason_."

"Jiro, if it were anything else, I'd be _happy _that you're curious- it shows promise for future gossiping prospects. But it's a surprise, okay?"

"This coming from _you_, who announces her latest ship- between _actual people_\- the second it pops into your head?"

"Aizawa-sensei and Fukukado-san have _chemistry_!"

"Right."

"Seconds, Koda?"

"Um, please, if there's enough."

"Don't worry- Kero. We made plenty."

Eri leaned in a bit more against Izuku. She pressed her ear against his arm to lessen the noise. Her eyes darted around the room, trying to watch everyone at the same time.

Izuku had a lot of friends. One boy was even smaller than her!

She could remember some names, but a whole bunch of them she only knew from the festival. She looked up at Izuku- he was smiling. She wanted to like his friends.

There were just… a lot of them.

She shivered, peeking at the boy sitting on her other side. Both his eyes were different colors, and so was his hair. One side of his face looked like it had been burned. He sat down next to her after he refilled his bowl. Eri could feel him looking at her while he ate. He kept looking at the sleeves of her dress, like he could see the scars there. Eri thought he might've frowned, but she couldn't tell- he always had more noodles in his mouth. His eyes didn't look mean, not like Chisaki's- Eri didn't _think _she should be scared.

She didn't know what she _should _think, either.

She hung her head and stared at her food. She wanted to eat more, but her stomach felt a little weird.

"Ah, Todoroki," Izuku said next to her. "You're kinda… looming."

The boy blinked.

"I am?" He said around his noodles. He sounded surprised. "Sorry."

He sat up a little more, looking away from Eri.

"It's okay, Eri-chan," Chako said. She leaned out from around Izuku. "Todoroki's nice. He just doesn't say a whole lot."

"True," Mina said from another couch. "Our prodigy boy's shy~!"

"No," Todoroki said. His voice sounded kind of confused. "Not really."

A bunch of people laughed. Eri sighed. Her stomach felt a little better. She took a bite of her korokke.

She yawned.

* * *

"Thank you." Izuku whispered to Uraraka. The girl smiled, taking Eri's bowl along with his.

"She's so cute."

Izuku silently agreed. Against all expectations, the girl had fallen asleep, practically a deadweight on his left arm. He carefully extracted his phone from his pocket with his right hand.

* * *

**Midoriya Izuku **changed their name to **Izuku**

**Izuku: **Thank you all for being understanding earlier.

**Aux Cord: **No problem. Kid's gotta be overwhelmed

**Class Dad: **It's only natural that we strive to make Eri's transition as smooth and comfortable as possible!

**Ojiro: **You can dictate the pace, Midoriya- we'll introduce ourselves to her eventually

**Aoyama Yuga **changed their name to **Twinkling~!**

** Twinkling~!: **Oui!

**Koda Koji **changed their name to **Koda**

**Koda: **=^ ^=

**Kami: **Oh my, Sato, are you baking something? It smells delightful

**Uravity: **Can confirm on both counts!

**Sato: **It's apple pie

**Alien Queen: **Sato! The surprise!

**Izuku: **It's okay! Eri's asleep anyway- thank you for doing that, Sato!

**Invisible Ma'am: **We had to celebrate somehow!

**Alien Queen: **Plus, y'know, _Sato dessert_

**Cellophane: **You're making at least two, right?

**Sato: **It's my first try at a western dessert- if this one comes out okay, I have enough stuff for a second one

**Alien Queen: **Eri gets first dibs! Non-negotiable!

* * *

"Does any soba remain?"

"Oh," Izuku said. He muted his phone again. "Tokoyami- I'm not sure. I haven't been in the kitchen for a while."

He didn't ask where his classmate had been. Sometimes eating dinner all together just didn't work out.

Tokoyami glanced at Eri's sleeping form. He smirked.

"I see. I'll check for myself, then."

From behind him, Dark Shadow appeared, twisting and craning over the couch.

"Cute little tyke, ain't she, Fumi?"

Tokoyami, effort visible despite not moving, restrained his quirk. Dark Shadow pulled back, though he lingered, still watching curiously.

"Don't crowd her," he chided. "She's resting."

"I should get her up, actually," Izuku said. "I'm sure she'd love to try an apple pie."

He gently moved his left arm, shaking the girl's shoulder.

"Eri," he whispered. "Eri, wake up- Sato made a new dessert, just for you to try."

The work of a minute saw Eri yawning, blinking blearily. Reluctantly, she sat up, though she kept one hand on Izuku's arm. She looked around, still in caught in a halfway nap.

Izuku's phone buzzed, no doubt signaling that the pie had been baked.

He felt Eri freeze beside him. Her left hand joined her right on his arm, clutching at it.

"Eri?"

Face pale, red eyes blown out wide in sheer terror, Eri _screamed._


End file.
